Temagami Wilderness Newsing & Musing

FISHING OSPREY & SOUNDS OF SUMMER

2012-01-23T13:13:00.001-05:00

My friend Lorne sent me this osprey fishing video clip and I knew it would be good. In Temagami, I've seen osprey flying, and osprey nests high up in the pine tree tops. But never have I seen fishing like this! I especially get 'soft' when I hear the audio --beautiful sounds of summer. A nice fantasy while watching the snow fall outside my office window. Time for a ski!

SMOOTHWATER'S NEWEST HOLIDAY RECIPE

2012-01-03T10:37:00.000-05:00

Poppy Seed Strudel or Mohnzopf Yum! I am so thrilled to have finally figured out how to get the poppy seeds to stick together in a sweet mass. For years I have been trying to get it, but the poppy seeds just keep falling out, all over the plate, dress, floor.... My craving goes way back to the Jewish pastries of my childhood (German inspired, now I know), to a danish at a cafe in Yorkville (remember Cake Master?), to a frum bakery in Paris's Marais district. Finally, thanks to my 2010 trip to Vienna, and subsequent purchase of a cookbook, I learned the centuries old secret of traditional Germanic households. The recipe follows.

Poppy Seed Filling:

Cook this first so it has time to cool before you add it to the pastry.

1 1/4 cup milk

7/8 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Scant 1/3 cup semolina or cornmeal

1 1/2 cup poppy seeds

1 tbsp. almond extract

Hot apricot jam for glaze

Heat the milk with sugar and spices. Add cereal, stirring constantly. Then add the poppyseeds. Cool completely. Add a little rum if it is too thick.

Brioche dough:

2 eggs

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1 package yeast

1 tsp. vanilla

2 3/4 cups flour

1/3 tsp. salt

1/2 generous cup soft butter

Prepare yeast in warm water with sugar. Mix eggs and sugar and add to finished yeast. Stir in flour and at the end, salt and butter. Knead into a smooth dough and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Procedure:

Roll out dough into 16 x 8" rectangle. Spread filling all over the lower half of the dough. Fold the remaining dough over the filling. Make diagonal cuts at regular intervals on two sides, and cross these strips into a braid.

Lift strudel and place in a buttered loaf pan. Put in a warm place and let it rise by 1/3. Preheat your oven to 350 and bake for about 45-55 minutes. Finish with a glaze of hot apricot jam and sprinkle with a few more poppy seeds.

Enjoy for brunch, afternoon tea, or all day! Who cares if the poppy seeds get into your teeth. We're all family and friends!

CROWNING TORONTO'S BEST CHOLENT

2011-12-06T20:44:00.002-05:00

Crowning Toronto's best cholent | The Canadian Jewish News

In my humble opinion, cholent is not unlike Cassoulet, except of course for the pork!

Wikipedia 'says': Cassoulet (from Occitan caçolet [kasuˈlet], French: [kasuˈlɛ]) is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat (typically pork sausages, pork, goose, duck and sometimes mutton), pork skin (couennes) and white haricot beans.

Goes to show ya, if the Jews invented fois gras, cassoulet via cholent is not such a far cry.

CRAZY FOR CRAB APPLES NOSH WITH NASH

2011-12-05T20:08:00.000-05:00

Last Friday's NOSH WITH NASH dinner and concert was a recipe for community success. Arts generate business! There were about 15 who came for dinner, and about 40 for the concert. The concert itself was wonderful with Jory singing so intimately for everyone and telling such kooky stories. For those of you who couldn't be there, I'm going to share my braised cabbage and crab apple recipe.
CRAZY FOR CRAB APPLE BRAISED CABBAGE
This is really easy but don't expect the braising to take place quickly. By definition, braising is a long, slow, cooking process-- one that fills your house with lovely aromas. Give yourself two hours, gracefully watching the stove while you get on cooking other delights.
Ingredients for about 15 folks
1 red cabbage, sliced
3 onions, ringed
Bit of celery if you have it, or celeriac
1/4 green cabbage
Stout beer ( 1/2 bottle or more)
(Or a little apple cider vinegar)
About 6 springs of fresh sage or other fresh herb
Jar of spiced crab apples (I can my own from Gwen's farm)

Method
Sautee the onions, celery, celeriac. Add the cabbage, sage, beer and enough water to make it the mixture a little bit soupy. Then you cook the whole thing down, stirring often. About midway, add the jar of spiced crab apples, liquid and all. Adjust to taste so the dish is sweet and sourish. You can make this the day before to allow the flavours a better marriage.

CUTTING DOWN TREES FOR FRIENDS OF TEMAGAMI

2011-12-05T19:19:00.004-05:00

On October 28th Friends of Temagami was poised to start its annual general meeting at Smoothwater. Ironically, that was the very afternoon that old-time logger Viateur Couture arrived to assess three trees ready to fall on our lodge, or someone's car. Now, when an expert like Viateur shows up and says he can work right then and there, you don't say no. So in less that three hours he took down a spruce, birch and white pine. It was a display of virtuosity. Now I have more firewood and pine to mill for future renovations. Indeed, it was a day to honour the merging of Friends of Temagami and an old-time logger, Viateur Couture. And it can never be said that Smoothwater doesn't provide ultimate and appropriate entertainment for her guests!

Hors d'Oeuvre, Appetizer, Amuse Bouche, Canape? What's the difference?

2011-10-26T20:15:00.002-04:00

What's the difference? And who cares? The Romans made a flaky pastry, sheet by sheet much like our filo dough. France in 1440 established a corporation of pastrycooks, depriving the common person from baking and selling pastries. Catherine de Medici employed a pastry cook and brought many a fine pastry to France, including the macaron. From the 16th century on, convents made biscuits (bis cuit 'twice cooked') to be sold in aid of good works. In other words, pastries have been forever loved and are here to stay. Could there be any new inventions? Probably not, except when for an individual's ability to learn, experiment, invent and make it their own. Check out my pastry cooking class at Smoothwater, Saturday November 19th! Come hungry.

Journalism from May Delory's Blog

2011-09-19T09:16:00.003-04:00

Smoothwater of Temagami, Ontario offers the opportunity to forage in the wild for your supper in Temagami to learn about local growing herbs, edible flowers and plants, and berries to incorporate into breads and pies and many other recipes that may indeed surprise you. Caryn shares ancient beliefs and medicinal uses for local growing plants. See more on May Delory's blog.

GONE FISHING!

2011-07-29T12:03:00.002-04:00

By nature, I believe we are all hunters and gatherers. I've always thought of myself as more of a gatherer, until I got my Outdoor card which I needed for my little evening of fishing. Thanks journalist May Delory who asked for the fishing experience. And thanks to Doug Adams of Northland Paradise Lodge for guiding us on his secret lake, and his Pike filleting instruction. I live on James lake and my land produces enough Canadian potatoes to feast Temagami. Now I know I will never starve.

BREWING BEER

2011-07-08T21:50:00.005-04:00

Yep, it's almost ready for drinking. This summer we have two beers for tasting. Raspberry (from Ray's Berry farm) and Sweet Fern picked at Franco's (Wolf Within Adventures). Here I am syphoning before bottling. And there I am with Rosa Shoel, wwoofer extraordinaire. I believe these beers are my best versions yet! Come for a complimentary tasting.

RABBIT LAKE ROAD RE-OPENS

2011-07-02T12:01:00.001-04:00

A spring washout on Rabbit Lake Road is repaired sufficiently to allow road vehicles. The washout, just west of Glasford Lake, disrupted access to the Ottawa-Temiskaming Highland and Grand Campment hiking trails. It did not hinder Rabbit Lake access. MNR cautions that the short-term repair is not suitable for transports and other heavy vehicles.

WILL AND KATE IN TEMAGAMI PHOTO OP

2011-07-01T10:50:00.006-04:00

Will and Kate are canoe tripping in Temagami. Kate definitely has a bad hair day as she emerges from her tent. Glad the two can have a real Canadian experience in Temagami. Algonquin is just too crowded. Imagine the entourage. And the secrecy about who is outfitting the trip, the route, and indeed, Park or Crown land! Which is politically correct? Whose Muskoka mansion will they visit after the trip for a BBQ? Um, did I say Royalty? Can't a person have a little fun? Temagami could use the publicity. Happy Birthday Canada!

TEMAGAMI GROCERY STORE IS BACK!

2011-07-01T10:44:00.003-04:00

After closing and going bankrupt in October 2010, Temagami has a new grocery store. The the pleasure of the community, and independant of any chain, are Joanne and Dick, new owners of our community grocery store. In other words, an honest to goodness, family run grocery store. Local produce and meats will be the focus, along with the usual staples. So for campers and cottagers coming through, Temagami will appreciate your buying support. If on the other hand, if you are short on time, Smoothwater will buy locally and outfit your canoe trip or cottage life with catering.

SPRING WASHOUT RABBIT LAKE ROAD

2011-05-06T11:33:00.004-04:00

The Rabbit Lake Road is washed out just past the 27 km sign. About 20 metres is missing to a depth of 1 – 2 metres. The culvert is still in place under the road bed with the creek flowing through it and everything appears normal except for the flotsam stranded in the bush about 2 metres above the creek. So if you’re looking to get to Grand Campment Bay, Lakeland can fly 5 hikers with normal backpacks in the Beaver. The ice is gone. To be sure, more roads will be in this spring condition.

A NEW VIDEO OF TEMAGAMI

2010-11-03T20:26:00.007-04:00

Here's a new (commercial) video about Temagami. It covers some nice stuff. But some utterly silly stuff too. (Maybe I shouldn't say that). But I think for a commercial enterprise, needing to give their sponsors time, it goes pretty well. I'd still want to visit Temagami. And if you want to dig and find other businesses in Temagami, you can just click through to the town's website. Have a donut. Or poutine.

CRAIG MACDONALD PRE-CONTACT STORIES OF TEMAGAMI

2010-10-29T11:43:00.003-04:00

Craig MacDonald spent nearly 30 years researching and documenting the nastawgan, Temagami's traditional network of summer and winter travel routes. The history, language and culture of the Anishinawbeg were used to create an important window on the area's history.

Craig's seminal publication, the Historic Map of Temagami, is crucial to the work Friends of Temagami does protecting and promoting the region's historic canoe routes. It is a unique and invaluable contribution to our understanding of the aboriginal world that existed in Temagami in 1900. His work is a defining guide to the Temagami Wilderness.

Craig will present his work and passion for Temagami on Saturday evening, following the AGM dinner, and you are cordially invited. Smoothwater has three invitational offers:

1) attend the AGM on Saturday,

2) come for the AGM dinner and presentation,

3) make it a weekend and book one of our cozy rooms.

Take it from me, if you like history, you cannot get enough of Craig's stories. I can listen to him for hours, and have. Hope to see you at Smoothwater of Temagami next week.

P.S. Craig's maps will be for sale.

HARD RYDE BLUEGRASS BAND PLAYS TEMAGAMI

2010-08-21T11:41:00.002-04:00

Presented by the Temagami Artisitic Collective, Hard Ryde plays tonight in Temagami. Hailing from musical backgrounds encompassing country, old-time and jazz, the sum of these individual parts equals one dynamic powerhouse of talent taking the Canadian bluegrass stage. 8 p.m. August 21st at the Temagami Welcome Centre theatre.

WINNING SECOND PLACE

2010-08-16T15:51:00.002-04:00

Lemon Blueberry Daquoise

Smoothwater of Temagami takes second place for this scrumptious dessert. We have 3 c0-creaters to thank: Caryn Colman, Chantelle Mousseau, and the Mademoiselle Wwoofer Marie.

Here is the recipe to share. Enjoy!!

Dacquoise

6 egg whites

1 cup fruit sugar

½ tsp. pure vanilla extract & ½ tbsp. pure almond extract

1 tbsp. corn starch

1 cup toasted almonds

Beat egg whites until light. Gradually beat in ½ cup fruit sugar. Beat in vanilla and almond extract. Combine remaining fruit sugar with corn starch and chopped almonds, and fold into egg whites. Spread meringue evenly over 3 parchment paper circles. Preheat oven to 250 and bake for about 1 hour. Don’t overbake. Meringues can be tricky.

Lemon Cream

180 g sugar

zest and juice of 6 lemons

6 eggs

450 g of cream cheese

9 tsp. sugar

3 g agar-agar* (option gelatin)

*Agar-agar is a seaweed thickener used instead of gelatin. It’s perfect for vegetarians.

Mix together sugar and lemon zest. Add eggs, lemon juice and agar-agar. Cook in a double boiler until the mixture thickens. Add a spot of butter. Put the mixture aside. Meanwhile, mix cream cheese and sugar, and add it to the lemon cream. When the mixture is cool, whip the cream and add it. Refrigerate.

Blueberry Jelly

2 cups wild blueberries

½ cup sugar

5 g agar-agar (option gelatin)

Cook blueberries and sugar for about 20 minutes. Add agar-agar dissolved in boiling water. Cook 5 more minutes.

Blueberry Icing

1 cup butter

1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

4 cups of sifted icing sugar

2 tbsp. milk

½ cup blueberry jelly

Cream butter and icing sugar. Add vanilla, milk and blueberry jelly.

Assembling the Daquoise

Start with one meringue. Layer with blueberry jelly, lemon cream, fresh blueberries. Then begin again with the second meringue, and layer. Add final meringue, but do not layer with anything. First ice the sides of the dacquoise, and pipe icing around the edges of the top. This icing edge will hold in the jelly and the blueberries. Now the cake is ready for you to add a layer of jelly, and top with wild blueberries.

SWALLOWTAILS IN TEMAGAMI

2010-06-17T11:17:00.006-04:00

It's late spring and the fields and forests are ripe.

The Swallowtail butterflies have hatched out of the birch trees, with which they have a symbiotic relationship. I think the Swallowtails are one of the most beautiful. They are a real sign of late spring. Here is a photo of one on a milkweed plant.

FACE LIFTS & GARDENS

2010-05-12T13:18:00.001-04:00

Do you believe in facelifts? I just gave my veggie garden one via the ample hands of wwoofers Johan and Emilie. But I'm generous and I share. Twice I've sent them to help Doug Adams at Northland Paradise Lodge where they are helping rebuild two docks in Pecours Bay. FYI, Pecours Bay is an access point to the old growth pines in the White Bear forest. This is an amazing forest with many trail options, and is accessible by foot. But I recommend getting there by canoe (join Smoothwater's Tree Hugger adventure, every Saturday in July and August). I'm gonna miss you French wwooffers Johan and Emilie!

MY HONEY BEES ARE WELL

2010-05-04T19:47:00.006-04:00

Today I inspected my beehive. All is well. I was a bit worried because I did not treat them (with oxalic acid) in the fall for mites. All beekeepers seem to do this religiously. And me? I'm against all that chemical intervention. But lucky me, my bees are in the cleansing pine forests of Temagami. And there are no other honey bees around to infect them. My beautiful bees came through strong and still have their own honey in their hive. So there is no need to feed them that ghastly fake sugar water substitute. I am so happy!

Here you see one of my girls diving into a dandelion. An individual bee is flower specific, which means this girl only goes for the dent de lions, or pis en lit, you know, dandelions! Dig her pollen baskets! This may be the year I can collect enough of my own dear honey for my guests to try.

NEW QUILT PATTERNS ON OUR FLOORS

2010-04-27T21:55:00.010-04:00

Smoothwater of Temagami had a renovation this winter on the theme of quilts. For those of you who know me, I just couldn't live with a plain-Jane floor. So my research into tile patterns led to quilt patterns. It makes perfect sense to me, quilts are about comfy beds, and we have a lot of beds in the bunkhouses. See more cozy bunkhouses quilt patterns and other amenities, by clicking the link to the photo album on the Smoothwater of Temagami fan page.

WHAT ABOUT FIRE BANS IN TEMAGAMI?

2010-04-27T21:35:00.003-04:00

Fire season is here. It's a dry spring. Lake Temagami water levels are low. Last week, there were 23 new fires reported in the province. High winds and extremely dry conditions kept fire suppression resources busy. All 23 fires occurred in the western sectors of the province burning a total of 17 hectares. No further problems are anticipated with these fires. If you are planning a canoe trip, check the link. You don't want to be doused by a water bomber. Or fined. It happens! Consider bringing a stove too.

BLACK FLIES ARE A LOT LIKE PEOPLE

2009-02-18T11:23:00.006-05:00

I'm wondering if this famous little song and film will bring folks to Temagami, or not. But it will make you laugh for sure! Let me know what you think.

For your information, blackflies are a lot like people. When they (the females only) gorge on a blood meal, they are very full and fat, and can only waddle away to hide under a leaf. Then they take a very, very, very, long siesta, digesting the blood into their reproductive energies.

At May's end, yes, the little black flies are coming, to the culinary delight of birds and dragonflies. So no worries for humans.

ROADKILL GETS A SECOND LIFE AS ART

2009-01-26T11:02:00.003-05:00

VANCOUVER, B.C. - When Amy Nugent sells her line Roadquill at craft fairs, she sometimes hears snarky remarks directed at her by overzealous browsers.

The 33-year-old visual artist uses the parts of dead animals to create high-end key chains, jewelry and accessories: Rabbit feet and turtle hands hang off small gold key chains, and moose and bear bones are carved into the shape of feathers and used as slides for a tie or velvet necklace.

The materials aren't knockoffs.

A quick inspection of her art leaves no doubt that the parts are real. The anger from certain onlookers often turns to confusion when Nugent tells the critics her pieces are completely sustainable.

Every part was taken from dead animals scooped off the highway.
The Pembroke, Ont., native became fascinated with roadkill in 2001. She had moved to the Algonquin Park region after taking three years to hitchhike across Canada, and play music in Montreal.

Having grown up near the Algonquin First Nations reserve, Nugent was intrigued by many of their traditions and was drawn to the animals in the region. In her time back in Algonquin, she couldn't help but notice the large number of dead porcupines that lined the highway and roads.

"I started realizing, God there's all those quills and I'd heard about people collecting them up there and making art," she said.

"Not knowing what I'm doing I just stopped one day and thought 'How am I going to do this?"'

She put together a kit of Tupperware containers and plastic gloves and started taking what she could from the dead porcupines.

She wanted to "resurrect this stuff that we just pancake out there."

"This is all about honouring the animals and recycling," she said.

Soon, she started using the quills as beads for cuffs made from safety pins and elastic bands.

She was wearing one when she attended a powwow in 2003 in Algonquin. She happened across a man at a booth who had a huge bag of quills. They started chatting and Nugent soon learned that the man was known as the Roadkill Warrior - his real name is Peter Schimanski.

His mission was to collect as much roadkill as he could and use the parts in any way possible.

"I mean, I was just getting the quills of porcupines, but this guy, if he sees a chipmunk, a little turtle, hummingbird wings - from the small to bear, deer, moose, he'll take anything," she said.

Nugent gave the Roadkill Warrior one of her cuffs and the two formed a close friendship.

When Nugent moved to Vancouver five years ago, Schimanski became her supplier. Every time Nugent is back in Ontario, she apprentices with Schimanski on customs like skinning and cutting up animal carcasses.

"Throughout the years, the bond has become incredible," Schimanski said from his home in Algonquin. "Some of the work she does I just find incredible."

(Schimanski distributes his material through word of mouth. He's created a network of people interested in using animal parts, that spread from across Canada to parts of the United States.)

Nugent's future plans are as vast as the Trans-Canada Highway. She wants to start a line of fastenings - buttons, zipper pulls - in collaboration with a local designer. She's also reading up on the history of the Trans-Canada and intends to use the iconic imagery of road signs on her jewelry.

But her most ambitious idea is organizing a children's play.

"When I do a table (at a craft fair), and have all the stuff out there, (children) go crazy," she said.

"(They ask) 'What is that? What's that from?' and you get into this whole discussion about modes of transportation, highway, spirituality, death. It opens so many doors."

LUMINESCENT FUNGI SEEN

2008-09-06T11:50:00.006-04:00

Francis and I were walking home in the dark, after a fine celebration for Bruce and Carol Hodgins of Camp Wanapitei. When I was able to resist using the flashlight to light the path, we noticed irridescent spots on the forest floor, and on decomposing logs. There are so many mysteries still to discover and study in the old growth forests --and not so old forests. It makes me sad how the MNR's Forest Management plan 'manages' for so few 'indicator' species. When the old growth habitat is gone, we've lost a link to science and spirituality.

QUILTS & BARNS

2008-06-29T14:42:00.004-04:00

Do you like quits and farm life? See over 100 on display on barns throughout Temiskaming. It's part of a self-drive tour to bring awareness to the 2009 International Plowing Match. Yes, that's 2009 September.
This photo is of me painting a 'tree' quilt that will go up on display in Temagami village.
Personally, I am thrilled to drive the lush farmland of Temiskaming only to see the most stunning quilts painted on barns. I am painting a series of watercolours to depict this. For those who wish to drive about (you can easily take less than a day), there is a map to go with it outlining the story of each quilt and the farm's history. What a great way to tour the bread basket of Ontario.
P.S. Smoothwater offers lodgings and meals for International Plowing Match tourists.

ORCHIDS IN TEMAGAMI

2008-06-20T09:33:00.003-04:00

Pink Lady's-slipper orchids (Cypripedium acaule) are everywhere these days in Temagami. Just yesterday, June 19, over 250 were counted while hiking the old growth pine in the White Bear forest. Let's put it in context: that's 250 Pink Lady's-slippers over 3 km of trail in the old growth pine forest.
Pink Lady's-slipper are also called the 'moccasin' flower. Aboriginal people used the roots in a sedative and in an epilepsy medicine.
Pink Lady's-slipper take 10 years from germination to reach the flowering stage. They should not be picked.

A TEMAGAMI CANOE TRIP IN SEPTEMBER

2008-05-27T22:36:00.005-04:00

This is a really good video on You Tube about a Temagami canoe trip in September. I'm not sure who authored this, but it is quite typical of the Temagami landscape. The canoe trippers had some amazing nature and wildlife experiences, including wolves and moose. http://youtube.com/watch?v=vKtD3xXIcME

A CULINARY MEDITATION

2008-05-24T08:12:00.004-04:00

Always I look for a meaningful way to acknowledge the culinary bounty we are blessed to have in Temagami, in Canada. This one, by Kahil Gibran, humbly connects me to the web of life.

"When you kill a beast, say to him in your heart: By the same power that slays you, I too am slain, and I too shall be consumed. For the law that delivers you into my hand shall deliver me into a mighter hand. Your blood and my blood is naught but the sap that feeds the tree of life."

BUG REPELLANTS

2008-02-06T15:55:00.002-05:00

"It would take 1,200,000 mosquitoes, each sucking once, to completely drain the average human of blood." discoverymagazine.com Lest we not forget, only the females suck.
I've heard a form of torture practiced by some Canadian First Nations tribes, was to strip the enemy, tie him (probably not a her) down outdoors during bug season, and then let the mosquitoes have a go. So how long would it take for 1,2000,000 mosquitoes to feast? Twenty four hours in June?
Don't worry though about bugs. I don't want to scare you. When you wear a bug shirt you can laugh.
But it is very interesting to think of how people over the millenia protected themselves against bites. Fur traders and the courieurs des bois used bear grease on their skin to smother a critter (imagine sleeping under a canoe during bug season). Tree planters use olive oil to the same effect. Today, some use a combo of essential botanical oils, while others swear by deet. I swear by bug shirts, especially those made by the Original Bug Shirt Company in South River.
At least we don't have poisonous snakes. See you this spring!

First Cross Country Ski of the Winter: December 5

2007-12-06T17:16:00.000-05:00

Wow. I am so happy. Cross country ski season is here. I had my first cross country ski today. The Smoothwater cross ski and snowshoe trails have lots and lots of snow. My favourite time to go is in the afternoon after I'm about to burst from too much computer work. A half hour ski a day, accompanied by the dogs, is all I need to keep fit. Well, almost.